Massa out of danger according to surgeon

Felipe Massa was awake Monday, speaking to family members who have flown
from Brazil, and moving his limbs, doctors reported from AEK military
hospital in Budapest, Hungary.
Felipe Massa, Scuderia Ferrari.
Photo by xpb.cc.
The...

Felipe Massa was awake Monday, speaking to family members who have flown
from Brazil, and moving his limbs, doctors reported from AEK military
hospital in Budapest, Hungary.

The Ferrari driver underwent surgery Saturday after suffering head and
eye injuries during qualifying for the Grand Prix of Hungary. Massa was
hit on the head by a spring that broke free from the rear suspension of
the Brawn GP of Rubens Barrichello.

Robert Veres, a member of the surgical team, held a news conference with
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo on Monday.

"We can say that the immediate life-threatening condition has been
averted, but a complication could make it life-threatening again," Veres
said. "Currently, he is in a severe but not critical condition, and he is
stable."

Veres confirmed Massa, 28, suffered eye damage when the nearly 2-pound
spring struck the Brazilian's helmet. Veres said Massa showed evidence of
brain swelling. Doctors had induced coma to aid the driver's recovery.
But Monday, Massa was taken off a ventilator and was speaking and moving
his limbs, doctors said. Massa's parents and his wife, Raffaela, flew
from Brazil to be at his side. The couple is expecting their first child
in November.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced an investigation
into the incident as well as that of a tire hitting Henry Surtees on the
head during a Formula Two race in England the previous weekend. Surtees,
18, died of his injuries. Speculation holds that the Brawn GP spring
glanced off the Ferrari F60's cockpit collar and into Massa's helmet. The
height of the collar was raised last season to offer further protection
to drivers.

"We don't know the quality of the damage," Veres said of Massa's left
eye. The surgeon said it is too early to comment on the driver's future.

Di Montezemolo said his driver's condition is the team's foremost
concern.

"For us, the first priority is to find out Felipe's recovery progress and
situation," di Montezemolo said. "Felipe is a very important member of
the Ferrari family, not just the Ferrari team. First priority now is to
find out the situation with Felipe and then we will see and we will
think, without pressure. Only at that moment will we make a decision. And
if we have to take a decision, we will make a good decision."

"He responded quite well to the doctor from Brazil," Barrichello told
reporters. "He responded quite well to his father. Being a normal person
who doesn't understand medicine, I asked the doctor if he will be all
right and the doctor said yes."

Raikkonen said he was optimistic for his teammate's full recovery.

"It's a sad thing that's happened from a very unlucky situation,"
Raikkonen said. "But as long as we race with open cockpits, our heads are
always the first place that's going to be hit if something is flying
around. It is part of racing and we all know that.

"He's probably going to be a hundred percent fine in a little time. We in
the team all hope he's going to be fine and come back soon."

In a news release announcing the safety investigation, the FIA said,
"Preliminary findings suggest the helmet being used by Felipe Massa may
have played a significant role in limiting the injuries sustained. The
FIA 8860 helmet, which took eight years to develop by the FIA and the FIA
Institute, provides increased protection in all key impact areas."

A blow to the head figured in the sport's most recent driver death, that
of three-time world champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil in 1994. Helmets
undergo tests including the dropping of an 8.8-pound spike onto the shell
and the firing of 1-gram pellets into three points of the visor. The
pellet test reaches firing velocities of up to 323 mph. Tests are
performed on stationary helmets The conditions of Saturday's incident,
that is, a nearly 2-pound object bouncing from the back of a moving
vehicle and hitting helmet and visor at the speed Massa was traveling,
are not covered by testing.

As concerns over driver safety revive, Brawn has cautioned that full and
complete data must be gathered before decisions are taken.